Child Poverty Part II

In the African-American youth, poverty is often referred to as the cause of high anxiety and depression with rebellious behavior and lower performances. In the Hispanic segment, poverty has been reported to cause behavioral problems at young ages and anxiety at the age of adolescence, and it was also found to be more for Mexican-American than the native Mexican youth. Various mental and health related problems along with substance abuse is reported in the Native American segments of the society (Jonson-Reid, Drake, & Zhou, 2013). A similar kind of behavior is observed in the Asian American segment as a result of poverty, and studies have shown that they have similar rates of behavior problems. All the segments mentioned above could demonstrate poor health outcomes and may experience discrimination and prejudice.

Neglect is described as one of the most common types of child abuse in the contemporary era. A survey conducted by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows that approximately 62% of maltreated children were reported to be neglected (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, 2007). These statistics are very broad and may reflect the difference in family structure and culture. Another survey showed that more than 22% of total American children are poor and living below poverty line. Poverty can, therefore, be considered as one of the most important predictors of child abuse (Jonson-Reid, Drake, & Zhou, 2013).

Community level poverty in the society can lead to various forms of child abuse amongst which the most common is child abuse. A research conducted by Jonson-Reid, Drake, and Zhou (2013) reported that out of 7,000 researched children, approximately 37% were reported for child abuse. Among these children, only 26% did not incur family poverty whereas the remaining 74% had reported family poverty history. This has brought an alarming situation and calls for immediate actions. A model change is required in the context of neglect and child abuse to aid the repetition.

Researchers in the past have focused on racial differences involved in terms of responding and reporting cases of child abuse. The scenario now calls for translating evidence-based practices in terms of mitigating child abuse with context to socio-economic factors such as ethnicity and poverty level to ensure maximum effectiveness (Jonson-Reid, Drake, & Zhou, 2013). However, further research is required to identify unique factors that may be considered as a potential checklist in working with issues of child abuse and neglect.